Transform Your Writing: Six Practices to Discover Endless Stories

“Si no viene hoy las musas, tendré que ir a verlas yo.” (If the muses don't come today, then I must go see them myself.) - Estopa, Un Rincon Del Mundo

You do not feel motivated or inspired to write or do anything at all, really.

And you are not alone.

The last few years (decades) have been exhausting.

At times, it feels like the future is not even guaranteed.

It is just madness everywhere!

So, how can anyone sit down to write in a climate like that?

Why would it even matter?

You can say the same about pickleball.

Think about it.

It makes no sense whatsoever.

Somehow, it has taken over the world.

I understand why.

Activities, hobbies, and practices don't have to make much sense for you to enjoy them.

I learned that while playing golf.

Golf makes no sense.

If you want to know how little sense it makes, you have to look no further than Robin Williams's 2002 set on The Invention of Golf.

But when you play it, there is a lot that can be enjoyable, being outside breathing fresh air, drinking while driving a tiny cart, losing your mind with a steel rod at hand.

Writing is the same.

Maybe it feels pointless; you don't want to be a writer, so why would you learn to do something you don't feel like doing?

However, becoming a traditionally published writer may not be the goal. The real goals tend to be little whispers like, "I wish I could leave some of these stories and lessons to my son," "I want to write the way I used to write when I was younger," "I want to make sense of everything that's going on around me."

When we recognize smaller, grittier goals, then we can identify the importance of writing even if we have no intention of writing the next best American novel.

The question remains, "Well, what do I write about?" This question is a little harder to answer, but once you get going, the ideas won't stop coming.

When I'm invited to speak at podcasts or writing workshops, I half-jokingly say that I can stop jotting down new ideas and still have enough material to last me a Blue-Zones-long life. Here are six practices that will help you to never struggle again with the question, "Well, what do I write about?"

Journaling

Even mundane details of your day-to-day can turn into stories. Even if they don't, they train you to look for details worth mentioning, and they will attune you to stories as they unfold.

Observation

Pay attention to how people dress, how they look, what they are saying, and how it smells around you. Then turn it inwards: how do all these things make you feel? Why? What are you making of it?

Recollection

What are some of the stories you like telling your family when you meet them? What about your friends? Those anecdotes are great places to start. As you start writing and thinking about them, you will start remembering details buried in your memory.

Inspiration

Go to a storytelling circle, go to a talk, watch people telling stories, read, get into conversations with strangers. We are built to mirror storytelling. People surprise themselves when they come to the storytelling circles I host because certain stories spark similar situations they have been through themselves.

Work It

You gotta work the story. There is no way around that. You have to sit down to write, and sometimes it helps to have a simple structure that can help you shortcut the process.

Carve Space for Writing

If you make time for writing and commit to Michael Lewis' "Ass in Chair" philosophy, then you will find yourself completing more and more stories. And if you need a little push to develop a morning routine that works then come join me at my webinar this Thursday.

If you have always wanted to carve out time for a writing practice, then join me next week on my webinar, "Wake Up & Write."

I'll be going live on Zoom on Thursday, May 8th, at 9 AM Pacific Time.

For an hour plus, I am going to cover how to develop a routine that will help you wake up early and get down to writing.

The price of the course is $27 and it includes access to the webinar, lifetime access to it once it goes up on my site "The Story Frame," a template to fill in the activities of your choosing that will fill your morning routine and a template and guide to write engaging stories consistently.

If you decide not to join, let me tell you something that will help you on your way to developing a routine on your own. Nobody wakes up to do something they don't find fun. Nobody wakes up to read stuffy books and obscure ideas.

The easiest way to wake up early is to wake up to do something fun. And not fun like, "I just find it so pleasurable to save the world and manatees."

But fun like, "I just can't stop watching The Real Housewives of Atlanta."

This webinar shows you how to have fun in the morning and bulletproof your routine by using principles of behavioral psychology to layer a rewarding morning writing practice.

To secure your spot, Venmo me at https://venmo.com/u/garbiras